1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration-proof and earthquake-immune mount system for machinery or buildings, and in particular to a mount system which can deal with horizontal vibrations and earthquakes of unpredictable direction.
2. Prior Art
Vibration-proof and earthquake-immune mounts which utilize vibration-proof springs or rubber are well known. Such mounts have usually been disposed between a movable component such as machinery or flooring and a stationary component such as machinery foundations or building foundations, respectively, to convert disturbing vibrations such as traffic vibration, construction work vibration, and earthquakes into a gentle movement of a relatively long period.
When there is provided only an elastic body such as spring or rubber as the vibration-proof mount, it is possible to lengthen the period of the vibration and to reduce its frequency. However, a suitable damper is required to restrain the displacement of the movable component such as machinery or flooring because the displacement is quite amplified.
For such damping, the prior art has utilized hydraulic dampers or the like by which vibration energy is converted to other energy forces such as heat to achieve a desired vibration absorption.
In the well known vibration-proof mount which utilizes springs or rubber, expansion and compression of the mount are limited to a single predetermined direction. Accordingly, to be effective for a vibration of unpredictable direction, such as a horizontal seismic vibration, one must provide a plurality of mounts of different orientation. Existing dampers such as hydraulic dampers also have a limited direction of operation. Therefore, a plurality of dampers having different orientations must be provided to overcome this inconvenience.